Standing in Front of You
by Mielies88
Summary: Puck and Rachel were like Oil and Water... or so they thought. One night is all it takes for them to form an unthinkable bond as they help each other through the roller-coaster that is life. Puckleberry!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: ** If you are reading this thank you for giving this story a shot. I have a Twilight Fic up that i have not updated in ages, and in truth Varsity last year kept me super busy and at the same time I have grown bored of all things Twilight. Its not as much of an interest anymore and found myself gravitating more towards Glee and Vampire Diaries FF. Anywho enough of that.

Wanted to try a Puck and Rachel Fic, because some of my fav glee fanfiction is P/R and there have been so many epic Fic's out there such as those done by Kimmi G, or cx7171 and Isabel5. And that is just to name a few.

Hope you enjoy! Realize there are many glaring mistakes, i do not have a Beta! If someone would like to be a Beta i would greatly appreciate it. =)

Melli

**Standing in front of You**

She couldn't stand being in the same room with them anymore, they had lied to her for years. Each one of them kept this secret as tight lipped as the Russian Mafia, 16 years and not a word. She looked upon their faces once more each anxiously awaiting her decision, she felt the weight of a thousand elephants had been placed upon her shoulders and suddenly she couldn't breath.

"I can't be here..." she had replied ever so softly, before running from those she had loved and trusted for so many years and only to be blindsided by those exact same people.

"Rachel!" she heard them calling after her, no doubt concerned for her well being, sadly it was too late for that now and right now she just needed to create as much distance between herself and them as possible.

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The note was the first thing he spotted as he walked through the door with Sarah sprinting passed him to win the right to the Television. Placing both Sarah and his bags down on the kitchen table he picked up the offending piece of paper with Red splashed across it, clearly written "Notice of Eviction". Glancing back at his eight year old brat of a sister, he folded the paper up and went in search of his mother.

"Ma?" turning the corner to the stairway, and there he found her right at the top head hung between her legs. Taking two at a time he made his way up towards her taking a seat beside her.

"Hey, everything's going to be okay."

She didn't answer back, only nodding her head solemnly before dropping her head onto his shoulder, as he wound an arm around her soothing her with his words of encouragement. Then he heard her ever so softly.

"We haven't got any dinner for tonight," he could feel her trembling a little at her declaration "I was going to go as soon as I got back from the hospital...b-but..."

"It's okay Ma, I'll go. Come you go up take a hot bath and I will head out to the store." She nodded, before slowly peeling herself away from her son and heading towards the bathroom. Noah's heart fell as he watched his mother walk wounded. Finally lifting himself from the stairs he shouted out to his sister he would be back and to behave before peeling out of the house.

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She had been walking for ages before she found herself seated outside Temple. She was still contemplating whether or not to go in or stay seated outside amongst the falling snowflakes. Granted she herself could see the theatrical element the snow held at such an hour. Lost within her own mental debates she hadn't heard her name being called, finally only being dragged out of her own thoughts as a pair of Black All Stars placing themselves directly in her line of vision.

"Berry?" she heard it then, the all too familiar voice of Noah "Puck" Puckermann.

"Oh-Uh Good evening Noah," finally looking up to the self proclaimed Mohawk wielding Badass of McKinely High, "Forgive me for my moment of absence."

Though as she spoke those final few words she could see the moment their eyes locked together that something was on his mind, he looked so conflicted unlike all the times she had encountered him within the Halls slushie gripped firmly in hand, or between classes as he made out with yet another cheerleader instead of going to Math Class. His usual cocky and repugnant self seemed to have disappeared and in place a more timid and conflicted boy stood.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, hands stuffed deep within his pockets as his head bobbed towards the empty space next to her. Shaking her head no, he moved to sit and leaning back with a long sigh.

"Are you okay Noah?"

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So maybe he needed a little bit of air, after all today was suppose to be one of celebrations and now all celebrations would have to be put on the backburner. He passed by the store at least 20 minutes ago and couldn't care less to turn back just yet. That's when he spotted her, seated against the snow covered bench staring blankly at the pavement. He had known Rachel Berry practically all his life, living within Small town Ohio such as Lima presented itself with only a bundle full of Jewish families. Okay maybe he didnt know her like all buddy-buddy, but he'd slushied her a few times over the years, even threw in a wink once or twice. And through all his tormenting he had never seen her look the way she had now, small and alone. Because come hell or high-water Rachel Berry never let a single slushie get to her, she never cracked, she was always firm in her beliefs and in part that made him envious of her.

Glancing back towards the direction of the store, its neon lights dimly flickering in the distance, he should really go back and head home but one more look at Berry ad something made him think twice. Don't get him wrong he was all badass, and would rightfully slushie her in the Hallways of McKinely High as soon as the summer was over, but right now she looked like she needed a friend. And one Rachel Berry didn't have many of those.

He had made his way over to her, hoping to gauge her attention away from the grey stoned pavement.

"Berry?" he had called softly, finally situating himself firmly in front of her and her line of vision, he waited patiently as he saw her freeing her mind of its battle.

"Oh-Uh Good evening Noah," When she looked up at him her eyes screamed at him almost, pleading for someone to talk to, "Forgive me for my moment of absence."

"Anyone sitting there?" and as he took the seat next to her, he was about to ask her if she was okay before she beat him to it.

"Are you okay Noah?"

Those four words were all it took to get both Noah A Puckerman and Rachel B Berry to form an unlikely bond that had them pouring their souls out to one another. It was the beginning of something more than they could ever fathom.

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**A/N **: Okay finally have a fic that I am going to have finished by February. Been working on it for awhile. It so far looks like its only going to have five chapters. Dont want a long fic, or I will never finish. So therefore there will be BIG time jumps between some chapters.

Hope you enjoyed.

**Plz review !**

Thanks Melli

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	2. Chapter 2

Standing in front of You

**AN: Disclaimer : I do not own Glee! I wish I did! But i don't, and if i did Puck and Rachel would so be together!**

Chapter 2: What's on your mind Berry?

He had sat there for a moment, running the question through his head over and over before he heard her asking him that exact same question again.

"I was about to ask you the same thing Berry," he smiled his eyes meeting hers again, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"I asked first."

"Well you know what they always say, ladies first." He smirked, earning yet another faint smile accompanied with a little Rachel Berry eye roll, she seemed to toy around with the question in her mind for a bit before finally breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"Ms Corcoran is my mom." She blurted out, feeling it best to just pull the band aid off in one great swoop and clearly Noah's response was dumfounded shock. His eyes practically had bulged out from his eye sockets as his mouth hung a little slack, "See this is my dilemma. They kept it from me all this time, my own mother has been barely three blocks away from me and only now they come to me with this. Like really, when I started up at McKinely they knew she worked there! They knew and no one bothered to tell me. She's been my English teacher for three years Noah! Three years!"

Now he knew why he had seen the hurt so evident within her eyes, "That pretty much sucks Berry, why did they decide to tell you now?"

"I don't really know," he could hear her sniffling a little her voice cracking with the faintest emotions, clearly trying to hold back the tears "I sort of stormed out before they could explain it all to me. They all just sat there staring at me, waiting for me to crack I suppose. It's just that she's always been there right in front of me, I've dreamed of this moment for so long and..."

Noah wasnt used to moments like these, let alone moments such as these with Berry, but he saw the tears start falling from her eyes and did the only thing he knew would show her that he was there for her, gently reaching over grasping her hand half in his he gave a gentle squeeze "You know what Berry, you have every right to be angry, hell if it were me and my dad was sitting there telling me he was a 5 min drive away all this time...i think I'd open a can of whip-ass on his butt."

But this wasn't his dad and the circumstances were different, "Ber-Rach the only thing s'okay for me to be all Puckasaurus on his ass," he heard her give a light chuckle at his alter-ego " but I think you have to go back there and hear them out. There was a reason for all this coming out now and you have to know all the facts."

"It's not that easy Noah," she sighed, the crack in her voice still evident but the tears had at least subsided a bit.

"It's gotta be Rach. She may have been 3 blocks away from you all your life, but she's making a move now to be in your life by the sounds of it. Trust me, sometimes I wish my dad would do that, but that aint happening anytime soon and probably never will," his hand which rested above hers, moulding together became a little slack as he spoke and Rachel noticed his change as he spoke briefly about his father. Reminding her that Noah had arrived her with that same expression of sadness.

"Are you alright Noah?" looking up at him now, tear stained cheeks and her big brown eyes still glistening with unshed tears as she tried to compose herself, he didn't look at her, it was as f he couldn't or more so he was trying to hide his pained filled eyes from earlier.

"Rach, I think you need a shoulder to cry onto more then I d..." quickly cutting himself off he retracted his hand from Rachel's "I mean I can handle my shit, like I always do."

Realizing that he needed the distance Rachel suppressed the slight twinge of pain she felt when he had let go of her hand, "I understand, we're not exactly friends. S I dont blame you for feeling hesitant on your part. I just wanted to be able to repay you for allowing me to declare my troubles, especially when you yourself seem to be having a troubling time. I think maybe I should be on my way"

As she made an effort to stand, she felt his hand reach out to grab hers "Please stay," was nothing but a whisper uttered from his lips, and with those two words she remained seated in silence for what seemed like hours, which were in reality 5 or so minutes, before he finally allowed himself to speak again.

"I got a football scholarship today." He paused, and Rachel realized that she didnt have the power to hide the shocked expression at his announcement, "yer, I know! Me Noah Aaron Puckerman worthy of a scholarship."

"It's not that, it's just." She tried to rectify her bad response.

"No, I get it. Trust me I dam near shat my pants when I heard from coach. But seems like the scout really liked what he saw at the game last week and if I can get my grades up to par I may get the full ride I never dreamed I would ever get. I may be a Lima Loser but I have dreams as well, and a part of me would really like to go but it aint gonna happen."

"Noah, I could help you...with your grades..." Rachel replied softly, with such determination that Noah couldn't stop the little crinkle of a smile.

"Nah Rach, it aint that easy."

"It is Noah! This is your future we're talking about, you have to take it!"

"I cant!" he stated firmly, his head lulling back against the bench for a few seconds "S'Okay though cause my family needs me, mom's had a hard year and she's fallen behind on a few payments. I aint gonna leave her when she needs me! I aint gonna be a good for nothing loser like him. He may have had the power to walk out on his family and not look back like some good for noting coward but I will be man enough to take care of them."

Abruptly Noah stood from his spot and kept looking up at the stars, his hands roughly working over his face. Rachel knew not to say anything, knew that he needed to keep up the appearance of not being some pansy ass. So she let him cry his silent tears, gave him the time he needed.

"Noah, you could never be your father, I just think you need to talk this out with your mom. Or at the least try find a way to be able to do both College and still take care of your mom." Rachel knew she had to say something, anything right now even though she didnt have the full story entirely but what she did know was that Noah was all about the macho exterior at school and right now she may have been witness to the real Noah Puckermann and she would fight to let him live a dream.

That's how it started, who would have guessed that Noah "Puck" Puckerman and Rachel "Crazy Berry" Berry would ever in a million years would be caught talking to one another for longer then an hour. No one would even guess that it wouldnt be the only night they sat talking to one another, because there was a whole lot more to come. In that hour, Rachel and Noah formed a bond they never expected.

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**AN/ I realize that this chapter is pretty weird to read but I really just wanted to get it out cause my heads been dealing with all the stuff that happens after this "filler" chapter. The next chapter is already in progress and a lot more structured. And a chapter I am looking forward to unlike this one. I just wanted to get them to a stage that you see how they ultimately become friends.**

**So anyway thank you for reading, please leave a review.**

**Meli**


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